Media portrayaws of Indigenous Austrawians

Media portrayaws of Indigenous Austrawians faww into a range of categories, which academics and commentators have described as often negative or stereotyped. In issues which concern dem, Indigenous voices are continuawwy drowned out by non-Indigenous voices, which present dem as "probwems" for de rest of society. Most stories are directed at white audiences, and anyding which concerns wewfare, or wand rights especiawwy, is tinged wif a cwear sense of confwict between "us" and "dem." Indigenous peopwe are often portrayed positivewy in documentaries and advertisements, awmost as tourist attractions, yet when dey interact wif contemporary society dey are seen as dreatening. Many reviews of mass media have found dat de race of criminaw offenders is mentioned more often when de offenders are Aboriginaw. The mainstream media is stiww seen as infwuentiaw in shaping pubwic opinion, and de Austrawian media continues to pander to racist stereotypes.

One 1994 study found dat no newspaper managers interviewed bewieved deir papers were racist, but most Aboriginaw interviewees bewieved dat mainstream newspapers "faiwed Aborigines dismawwy".[1] The same survey found dat no major paper had any Indigenous Austrawians as editors, and dat onwy editors speciawizing in Indigenous issues had any significant knowwedge of Indigenous cuwtures.[1] Most editors awso said dat dey saw deir readership as white, and some conceded dat dis perception affected deir news coverage.[1] In 1992, a systematic survey of mainstream media, incwuding tewevision, news, and radio, found dat "de excwusion of (non-stereotyped) diversity is awmost totaw in aww de media studied."[2]

In issues specificawwy rewating to Indigenous Austrawians, Indigenous voices are stiww dwarfed by non-Indigenous voices in press coverage. One study of de Sydney Morning Herawd's coverage of Wik and native titwe found dat onwy one qwarter of rewevant articwes contained any Indigenous voices.[3]

A 1992 study of severaw media found dat de onwy highwy reported issues rewating to muwticuwturawism (incwuding but not wimited to Indigenous issues) were immigration and Indigenous wand rights, bof of which were presented as "probwems for de majority cuwture."[2] One audor has expwained dat Mabo coverage was so in-depf because Mabo "reached far into de heart of non-Aboriginaw Austrawia."[1] The way in which Mabo was covered awso refwected papers' presumed white readership: according to Dunbar, most stories were directed at white audiences, wif a cwear sense of confwict between "us" and "dem."[1] When Mabo was mentioned on de front page, it was awmost awways portrayed as a potentiaw dreat to de popuwation as a whowe, as opposed to bewated justice for Indigenous Austrawians.[1] This pattern was awso seen in news coverage of a community funeraw in Woorabinda dat was used as an opportunity to arrest fifty Indigenous peopwe on outstanding fine warrants. The Indigenous community was outraged, but de wocaw paper reported de arrests widout any mention of deir happening at a funeraw.[4] The paper's chief of staff expwained dis way:
"We decided dere is a perception dat de majority of readers don't reawwy care what happened out dere. […] There was a bwowout over de fact it happened at a funeraw and we did not embroiw oursewves in de shit fight dat bwacks hate powice and powice hate bwacks. It wouwd not have achieved anyding. We had to make a conscious decision based on our circuwation; we had noding to gain circuwation-wise by continuing de fight for days and days."[4]

In 1990 de Federaw government conducted a Nationaw Inqwiry into Racist Viowence. Many peopwe compwained to de Inqwiry about awweged racism in media reporting.[5] This was recognised by de enqwiry as being due in part to dere often being a gap between many white media representations of Indigenous peopwe and Indigenous perspectives of deir own situations.[6] The report's 64 recommendations incwuded:

The media have a right and, indeed, a responsibiwity to report on race issues. The report recognised, however, de concerns of dose who gave evidence to de Inqwiry.

The Inqwiry was convinced of de importance of codes of practice and recommended deir devewopment, where dey do not awready exist, and deir observance by media outwets.

They awso recommended dat any proposaw to modify or abowish de powers and processes of de Austrawian Broadcasting Tribunaw take into account de need to retain an effective avenue for de handwing of compwaints of racism and raciaw viwification in de media.

The Inqwiry commended initiatives taken by some media organisations to encourage de recruitment and advancement of journawists from Aboriginaw and non-Engwish speaking backgrounds and encouraged aww media organisations to fowwow dis exampwe. The Inqwiry awso bewieved dat more emphasis awso needs to be pwaced on cross-cuwturaw training and education for cadet journawists.

The Inqwiry awso recognised de need for antidiscrimination bodies to provide reguwar opportunities for consuwtation and exchange of views between media representatives and community spokespeopwe.[7]

The Royaw Commission into Aboriginaw Deads in Custody awso made recommendations proposing de devewopment of codes of practice and powicies rewating to de presentation of Aboriginaw issues; de estabwishment of monitoring bodies and de putting into pwace of training and empwoyment programs for Aboriginaw peopwe.[8]

Frances Peters-Littwe, an Aboriginaw fiwm-maker, has observed dat tewevision portrayaws of Indigenous peopwe are divided into nobwes or savages.[12] At de savage end of de powe is de portrayaw of Aboriginaw criminawity in de mainstream news media. Many systematic content reviews of mass media have found dat de race of criminaw offenders is mentioned more often when de offenders are Aboriginaw.[4][13] Audor Header Goodaww has argued dat photos used repeatedwy in de coverage of de 1987 Brewarrina riot, which took pwace after an Aboriginaw deaf in custody, iwwustrate how mainstream media pander to whites' expectations of Aboriginaw viowence. The first of two iconic images depicted a young Aboriginaw man drowing a stone at a hotew, evoking "an Aboriginaw dreat to de country pub, dat symbow of Austrawian ruraw wife, mateship and sociaw networks."[13] The second, a photo of a breaking window, was shot so cwose-up dat one can no wonger recognize de image as one of Brewarrina; instead, one couwd onwy see an Indigenous Austrawian rewentwesswy destroying white property.[13]

These negative images, however, coexist wif "invariabwy positive and sympadetic" portrayaws of Aboriginaws in advertisements and documentaries, which typicawwy depict dem in "'traditionawist' rowes, dress, poses, and activities."[12][14] For exampwe, one study of 100,000 seconds of Austrawian advertising found dat de onwy Indigenous Austrawians pictured were chiwdren wif painted faces.[14] Documentary fiwm-making about Indigenous subjects generawwy awso centers on traditionaw cuwture in nordern and centraw Austrawia, negwecting de more urban areas of de souf and east.[12] One audor has suggested dat dese positive images of Indigenous Austrawians can coexist wif de negative news images because advertisements and documentaries depict Indigenous Austrawians as distant from de modern worwd; onwy when dey interact wif contemporary society are dey seen as dreatening.[14]